Low-carb diet to lose weight and control diabetes

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cutting back on carbs is the first thing that comes to our minds when we decide to lose weight. Limiting your carb intake is a famous diet strategy as it doesn't just help one lose weight but also optimise health and help manage metabolic diseases. Here is all that you need to know about a low carb diet.

What exactly is a low-carb diet?

A low-carb diet, as the name suggests is a diet that limits your intake of foods high in carbohydrates. These foods include bread, pasta, biscuit, cake, sugar, etc. One is not just supposed to restrict the intake of these foods but replace these with low-carb options like spinach, cauliflower and other high fibre and protein-rich food items such as eggs, meat, cheese, nuts. fish and poultry.

A low-carb diet is effective for people trying to lose weight, are diabetic, pre-diabetic, who want to optimise their metabolism, heart health, cholesterol and triglyceride levels. A low carb diet is also known to improve the quality of life in advanced or metastatic cancer.

Low carb diet for weight loss

A low-carb diet has been extensively used to help people struggling with obesity and related metabolic disorders like diabetes. Obese people have a high prevalence of diabetes or metabolic syndrome. It has been observed when these people followed a low carb diet, they lost weight and improved their insulin sensitivity and triglyceride levels as compared to when on a calorie and fat-restricted diet.

Low carb diet and diabetes

Low carb diet can help manage diabetes in the long run. This diet is less stressful on the pancreas and insulin production as compared to high-carb diets. If the body runs out of stored carbs, the liver produces ketones, a type of fat that can be converted into energy.

Low carbs diet and cardiovascular health

Just like added sugar, extra carbs in the diet get converted into triglycerides and get stored as fat cells. Restricting carbs has been associated with low blood triglycerides levels.

Low carb diet for metabolic diseases

Women suffering from obesity and metabolic problems saw an improvement hormonally while following a low carb diet. Reducing carb intake has been found to lower circulating insulin levels, improve hormonal imbalance and resume ovulation and thus improve pregnancy rates compared to the regular diet. Most low carb diets have only 10 per cent calories coming from carbs. A typical low carb diet allows only 50-100 grams of carbs per day.

Do check with your doctor, before you go on a low-carb diet, especially if you have any heart condition.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/diet/low-carb-diet-to-lose-weight-and-control-diabetes/photostory/85304068.cms